Candidates to Replace Les Miles at LSU
By Scotty Nola
The Wild Card Candidate: Lane Kiffin
Nov 14, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Lane Kiffen talks to the offense during the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
We have already covered major college assistants like Kiffin in one section, and coaches with major college head coaching experience like Kiffin in another.
Kiffin is in a class by himself.
First off, and we must say this, Kiffin has a very uneven reputation. He was an offensive assistant under Pete Carroll during his outstanding run at USC.
Kiffin developed a reputation as an exceptional recruiter, exceptional teacher, and exceptional game planner on those great Trojan teams.
Unfortunately Carroll’s run at USC ended badly, with the coach leaving town amid a cloud of controversy from an ultimately damning NCAA investigation. Kiffin was a key member of a staff that was blasted by investigators for violations.
Things ending badly is a theme of Kiffin’s career. In a surprise move he was hired out of USC by Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis. There was a major cultural clash between them and Kiffin was fired in only his second season.
Kiffin’s next Head Coaching job was at Tennessee, a position he resigned from after only a single season to take the USC job. Tennessee fans certainly have no love for Kiffin after that move.
His second run at USC ended badly for Kiffin. He was fired five games into his fourth season with a 3-2 record.
Kiffin has been labeled by his detractors as dishonest, undependable, and conniving. He has also been widely acknowledged as a brilliant coach and charismatic recruiter.
Kiffin would be a controversial and risky hire, of that there is no doubt. He could also be the best coaching candidate on the market.
Twice he has stepped into a head coaching job at a major college program and recruited a Top 10 class on short notice. Doing it at Tennessee a year after they finished out of the top 25 classes was nothing short of miraculous.
Kiffin recruited exceptionally well at USC his first two years as head coach. It took massive NCAA sanctions to drop USC from the ranks of the top classes in the country, and it was the sanctions that killed depth and led to the decline of that program.
Kiffin also has a proven track record as a master of the college passing game. Under Kiffin’s tutelage Alabama’s quarterbacks have gone from pedestrian to downright scary.
A head coaching candidate who has a proven track record of putting together top 10 classes and developing dangerous modern offenses is an ideal candidate for LSU. Of the available candidates none have the kind of total package of Lane Kiffin.
If you hear the words “It’s official, Les Miles has been fired” — then the top name on your short list is Lane Kiffin………